Complete
by TheJaguar
Summary: "It was like holding water between your fingers. She was one hell of a riptide." Pearl and Peridot fuse for the first time. [AU in which Peridot is a Crystal Gem.]


You are Peridot, and you're not sure if you like the way she looks at you.

Pearl was, initially, the Crystal Gem who was most opposed to your proposal to help them. Even after she told you that she felt sorry for you that you had been abandoned by Yel- ... by _her_ , she still wasn't keen on the idea of keeping you around. And that was fine then. You understood. You gave her her space, especially after Steven and the others has agreed and accepted you. But Pearl... She kept watching you like you were still a prisoner, like she needed to keep sentry over you.

It frightened you, at first. In a way it still does, but differently. Her cold demeanor grew gradually warmer over time. You bonded over talking about Homeworld. She taught you everything she knew about pearl tech, and you taught her everything you knew about yourself. You realized that you were essentially an upgraded version of her, and guilt gnawed at your belly. You kept this information to yourself, but she figured it out soon enough and she cried. You didn't know what to do then. Tears were as alien as this planet. You allowed it to happen and did not push her away when she sobbed into your shoulder. You didn't understand what was happening, but you did understand that it needed to happen.

You could always feel her watching when you were with Steven, too. When he was teaching you how to play video games (a concept that she was surprised Homeworld had not caught onto, for they seemed easy to produce and develop with the tech back home), she'd been there, cleaning some dishes and humming to herself. It had distracted you enough that Steven kept beating you, even when you knew you could have won easily had you been paying attention. It seemed that your ears were trained to listen to her voice now, trying to figure out why her song sounded so familiar.

She was there nearly all the time, and when she wasn't, you grew to ache for her return. Of course, you missed Steven when he went to play with his friends, and Garnet and Amethyst were easy enough to get along with, and you missed them too. But it wasn't the same. Perhaps it was because Pearl was there so often that the air felt empty and stale without her. You'd miss her voice, the scathing looks she would cast your way when you began to have a fit, the verbal tennis you would play during playful arguments. (Well, they were playful for you. Sometimes she seemed to take them more seriously than you intended.)

Still, the question, when she asked it, took you completely by surprise. It had been an exceptionally warm summer evening. Steven was tucked safely in his bed, Lion sleeping on the bottom floor, curled up next to the refrigerator. You and Pearl, unable to sleep, retreated to what had become your usual place to talk without being intruded on. You both sat on the white sand of the beach, backs to the violet stone. Sometimes, your hand would find its way on top of hers, but she never pulled away. You were grateful for that. You'd never felt skin as soft or as smooth as hers before, and you would take any chance you could just to feel it.

You had been sitting like that, a dull silence hanging in the air between you, when she finally asked.

"Have you ever fused with anyone before?"

You looked at her incredulously. "Why do you ask?"

Pearl shrugged. "Just curious."

You furrowed your brow. You didn't believe her. You knew that her mind was always turning, that she had to be thinking of something. You knew because you were too similar, and when you answered a question with "Just curious," you were lying.

"No, I haven't," you answered honestly. "Homeworld doesn't really believe in fusion. Besides, I've never been in combat until I got here. I had no need."

Pearl leaned back into the stone, her hand squirming beneath yours. You flexed your fingers to grip it tight before letting go. You forgot that it was supposed to be an accident that it was there in the first place. "Fusion... it's not always for combat."

You smirked. "That's not what you tell Steven."

Pearl chuckled. "We all have our secrets."

You relaxed, this time daring to flip your hand around and let your cool, metal palm touch her soft one. She responded by grasping your fingers tightly. Your heart pounded in your chest but you tried not to let it show. You didn't want to ruin this. You didn't want her to hate you. "What's it like?" you asked. "Being a fusion."

Pearl hummed and closed her soft, blue eyes. "It's like combining all the best parts of you with someone else," she answered. "You don't have to think about anything, because that person is right there, always. It's the absolute closest you can be with another gem."

"Sounds interesting," is all you could manage to stay. It sounded completely foreign and ridiculous to you. How could something like that even be possible?

She looked at you with... something burning in her eyes. You gulped. "Do you want to try it?" she asked you.

"Um... I guess so," you said, but she shook her head.

"No, no, it can't be half-hearted," she told you. "You have to want to be fused. With your whole being."

You grinned, trying not to laugh. "Aw, Pearl, I didn't realize you liked me so much!" You said it playfully, hoping that by teasing her, you could stave off whatever it was that was making your insides burn when you realized that Pearl meant she wanted to fuse with you more than anything. She wanted... she wanted to become part of you. She wanted to be something more than two parts with you. That was terrifying.

"There's a lot that you don't know about me," she said, her tone cool and collected. That made you shiver. Why did she have to be so mysterious? It drew you in instead of pushing you away.

"Oh, yeah? Like what?" You tested the waters, probing her with questions.

Pearl laughed softly, gripping your hand tightly now so that there could be no mistake about her intentions. You felt beads of sweat form on the back of your neck. "You'll learn in time."

"Aw, come on!" you protested childishly.

She shook her head. "Maybe you'll find out... if we fuse."

"You're very manipulative, you know. I kind of like that."

"I thought you would."

You sighed, and with trepidation, grip her hand tight. "Will it hurt?"

"Fusion?"

"Yeah."

"No," Pearl told you. She looked you right in the eyes - one of the few times she did - and it sent another chill up your spine. "It feels wonderful."

"And this isn't like... y'know..." You made an obscene hand gesture instead of saying the word, then chuckled at Pearl's face draining of color.

"No, it's nothing like _that_ ," she said. "Just... trust me. I think you'll want to experience this."

"You're the boss," you said, standing up. "So, how does this work, exactly?"

She followed you, brushing sand off her shirt and pants. You were still holding hands and you resisted the urge to reach forward and touch her more. She was so elegant, the way she moved completely captivating you. "Well, we have to dance," she said. "Just follow my lead."

"All right." You let go, not really wanting to but knowing it was necessary, and took a few paces back. She did the same, briefly stretching her arms and legs. Something hot and nervous bubbled in your stomach watching her. This was real, this was happening. You were going to fuse for the very first time and it was going to be with the gem who had basically become your shadow.

Pearl twirled in place, throwing her arms out wide as she twisted in the sand. You watched until she stopped, looking at you through half-lidded eyes. It was... it was alluring, fine, you would admit that to yourself. It was a look that demanded your performance, and you were going to give her one.

You didn't know how to dance, not really, but her dance posed a question and you were going to answer it. Trying not to think too hard, you took some awkward steps forward, twirling in place. Without knowing what you were doing, you stopped and held your hand out. Pearl smiled and took it, and suddenly you were moving, your feet awkwardly following hers. You managed to avoid stepping on her toes, and something surged inside you when you felt the pure muscle that allowed her to move so gracefully. It was like holding water between your fingers. She was one hell of a riptide.

Pearl turned and dipped you low to the ground. You let yourself fall back into her arms, trusting her not to drop you. You realized then that you could trust her with your life at any moment, because she was not about to go anywhere. She looked at you, her expression soft, and did something that you know for certain no one else had done with you before. With one hand, she lifted your visor and pressed the gem on her forehead to yours. A surge of electricity coursed through your body, a deep and warm sensation, and you threw your arms around her neck, pressing your faces as close as possible. You shut your eyes just in time to be surrounded in blinding white light.

You could feel yourself melting into Pearl. One second ago, you were two beings acting together but separately. Now, you weren't sure where which one ended and the other began. Your body was filled with this amazing, powerful feeling, and you were conscious that she felt the same way. You could feel something like an embrace all over your body, through to your insides, and you knew that you were returning it but couldn't feel yourself do it.

"Pearl?" you heard yourself ask.

"Right here," she answered, but her voice was right in your head. This was so weird, but at the same time, it was welcome.

Then, suddenly, you were not Peridot, and you were not Pearl, either. You were a new person, huge and towering. You opened your eyes and saw a pale white sash tied around your belly, and dark green robotic legs. You had one pair of arms made of flesh and one made of metal, and both felt natural. You felt around on your face and found your long, angular nose and one pair of wide eyes. Tracing your metal fingertips up your face, you felt two gems side by side on your forehead, an oval and a rounded triangle. They felt like they belonged together, like they should never have been apart.

Joy flooded through you, and you stepped towards the ocean. You hovered over the dark water, hoping to catch a reflection of yourself. You could see that you had dusty green skin, and pale green hair that fell in three sections, two over your shoulders and one on your back. Your eyes were light blue with dark pupils, and your smile lit up a delightfully round face. You were tall, impossibly tall, with a slender frame and form-fitting clothes to show it off.

Your name echoed in your mind and it felt ancient, like it had been lurking below the surface your whole life. Like you had always known it.

You were Olivenite.

Then, suddenly, you were not anymore. You were Peridot again, conscious once more of Pearl hovering both next to you and behind you and inside you, before you split apart. You fell not-so-gracefully onto the sand, and you felt both satisfied like you never had been before and yet starving for more. You looked up at Pearl, just a foot or two away from you, and on sheer instinct, you reached out for her. She sat up, shaking the sand off her back and shivering audibly. You were breathing hard, but noticed that she didn't seem quite as drained as you were. That was fine.

"So?" she asked you, crawling towards you and sitting next to you. She bit her bottom lip hard as she looked at you, eager to hear what you had to say. "What did you think?"

You trembled a little bit. You weren't sure what to say. The whole experience was too hard to describe. But you knew she wanted, _needed_ an answer, and you didn't want to disappoint her. After feeling her so close to you, you couldn't bring yourself to disappoint her ever again. "It... it was amazing."

Pearl sighed, seemingly from relief. "I felt the same way."

"The first time you fused?"

"No - well, yes, but also just now." She looked up at the moon overhead, bright and full, and you followed her gaze. "It's strange... I've fused with so many gems before, and it's always felt incredible. Being with someone stronger, smarter, more confident, more powerful than you... There's nothing like it. But this was..." The thought died off, and you had an idea, but you were too afraid to say it. The hiss of ocean waves bubbling against the sand was the only noise you heard for just a few moments. "I've never fused with someone who was truly my equal before."

"E-equal?" you echoed, not sure of what she meant. What did she mean, equal? She was older, stronger, more skilled, wiser. You were in no way her equal.

"I know what you're thinking," she teased. "Peridot, you're an upgraded version of me. You told me so yourself. As far as fusion is concerned, that makes us equal. Before this, I'd always been haphazardly throwing myself into fusion, just trying to feel... well, complete."

"You're a whole person by yourself," you offered, your tone soft.

"I know, but, Peridot, this was... You felt it too, didn't you? We weren't just fused together. You became me, and I became you. That's not normal in fusion."

"It isn't?" It felt like the most natural thing in the world.

Pearl shook her head. "But maybe that's what Garnet meant..."

You stayed silent, knowing that the thought was not for you. You clasped one of her hands tight in yours, both of yours. She wrapped her hand around your fingers, squeezing tight. You didn't move any closer, but you _felt_ closer. That was enough.

You are Peridot, and you are now certain that you love the way she looks at you.


End file.
